//------------------------------// // A New Kind of Gateway // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// The Human World. Canterlot Town. Twilight's Home. The Human World. The only world that had its own separate Earth compared to the new Super-Earth that was made by the power of the Jirachi. And yet, Pokemon still existed here as if nothing had changed. And living with these Pokemon was this world's Twilight Sparkle. And most of her Pokemon were predominantly Alpha Pokemon, minus her Hisuian Zorua. Speaking of which, there was a ruckus coming from her home. "Okay, settle down, please!" Sci-Twi said as she was currently moving around, speaking to all of her Pokemon who were around the house. "No, Munchlax, that's not for you!" "Munchlax?" Alpha Munchlax could be seen grabbing a serving of food, at least having the decency to grab a plate instead of using his bare hands. Without him even seeing his arrival, Alpha Pikachu came swooping in, grabbing a bottle of ketchup from the plate. "Pika-Pikachu!" With the ketchup bottle in his hands, Pikachu would jet off with it. "Just take a few and not everything this time, please." Twilight pleaded before shifting her attention to another predicament that was caused by her Pokemon. This time, it was her Alpha Heracross lifting up Zorua with his horn, using her as a weight. "Oh, Heracross! Put her down!" "Hera?" Heracross looked over before witnessing Twilight swoop in to catch Zorua. Hisuian Zorua shuddered as Heracross certainly didn't flex with a gentle pace. In Twilight's arms, her rapid jittering would soon slow down as her trainer would rub her head for safety. "Lift this instead." To compensate, Twilight would quickly place a stack of dictionaries on Heracross' horn just so he can continue flexing his strength. This pleased Heracross but not even a minute later and he was already eyeing down something else to lift. The fridge was within his sight. "Rapidash, don't run too quickly indoors, you'll hurt yourself or someone else! Mainly the latter!" She would then shift her attention to her first Alpha Pokemon. Rapidash. The Fire Horse Pokemon was galloping indoors, exhibiting her freedom and excitement for running. "We can run out in the park later, okay?" "Rapidash?" "Until Ash and Sunset get here, that is." Twilight sighed while hearing the sounds of her Pokemon causing minimal chaos. But it was still chaos. Equestria. Canterlot. Canterlot Castle. Day. Arriving at Canterlot Castle, just to pass through the mirror to enter the human world were Ash and Pikachu. But they would soon be joined by two more of their friends instead one like always. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash respectively. Rainbow Dash was especially eager to catch herself some Alpha Pokemon which was the main reason for her coming here while Ash was only showing up to assist his friend who was still a new Pokemon Trainer. "You know, we've been seeing a lot of Twilight's counterparts. What about ours?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I really wanna see my own counterpart one day." "Same here!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "It's kinda not fair that we haven't seen everyone else. We saw...just Twilight and Spike I think. I wonder what mine's like?!" "Well, we'd have to find a way to use the gateways again. The previous Twilight that showed up yesterday found a way to show up in this world after all," said Ash. "Celestia still has that Universal Alliance of hers. I wonder how that's gonna work since there's only one gateway left." "Pikachu..." "I'm working on that." Right on time, Princess Celestia replied to Ash, showing up next to the mirror. "It's still an alliance even if I can't reach them all." "Celestia? Are you heading over too?" Ash asked. "No, not today. As for that Twilight counterpart, I heard it from Twilgiht later this night which was passed on to me by Luna when looking into her dreams. So, she showed up here despite there being no sign of a gateway anywhere?" "Can't Flurry Heart return to her world? They sent Giratina back after all, didn't they?" "They did send Giratina back. And everything related to gateways has been diminished to one. But it seems that even after Jirachi's power took away all of the gateways, even though all the Travel Spheres shut down, they managed to salvage one, but it was low on power. That singular sphere is what returned Giratina to its world. After that...we're stuck with the Ponyville Gateway." "Bummer..." Rainbow Dash sighed. "But you could find something in the Human World. It's been completely unaffected, remember? Perhaps, there is a gateway that still exists since it has remained as its own separate planet." "Oh, you're right!" Ash and Pinkie Pie collectively gasped. Princess Celestia raised a stupendous point. Since the Human World had no visible changes, there was a very good chance that the gateways never left. "Only one way to find out! Yahoo!" Ash would jump in, going first as always. This was then followed by Pikachu and Mew who would fly out of Pinkie Pie's mane. "Mew-Mew!" "Wait for me!" Pinkie Pie cheered, bouncing into the mirror portal. And finally, it would be Rainbow Dash who zoomed in, leaving a rainbow streak. "As for me, I need to find a way past that protective magic that's around Magehold." Once they were all gone, Celestia could focus on what truly mattered right now. Magehold and the Dread League. "If we can get Yveltal out of there, we can prevent one disaster from coming true. But how are we going to break that magic...?" The Sun Princess pondered. There had to be a way. And there was. Daybreaker was the only one who actually ended up reaching Magehold in her respective universe. Therefore, she was the answer. But Celestia shook her head, refusing to think about Daybreaker after what happened back at Rustboro City. And yet, it seemed like there were minimal options. What was she to do? The Human World. Canterlot Town. Twilight's Home. "Hah...Finally. That took a while." After finally calming all of her Pokemon down, Twilight could sit back and relax. The only one that wasn't moving around constantly was Luxio, who was by far Twilight's most well-behaved Pokemon compared to everyone else. Heracross seemed to value his strength as seen by when Twilight first encountered him, Rapidash was still a bit stubborn and Munchlax is bound to cause a famine in this home. Zorua was also calm but that was mainly because of her timid nature. Right as she sat on her couch, her phone started ringing. Quickly, she would lift it up to see that Professor Oak was calling her. "Yes, Professor Oak?" "Morning, morning, Twilight." Oak greeted. "Are you doing well?" "I'm doing fine...A bit busy when handling all of my Pokemon though. They like being out of their Poke Balls to mess after all but they sure do cause some trouble. I can't even take them to the park all the time..." "If only you had enough space to let them roam free. Just like with what I have. And the number of Alpha Pokemon is only going to grow for you, after all." Oak chuckled. "Speaking of which, you have three Alpha Pokemon to try and reach this time." "Wait, three?" She sat up. "I can barely handle one...Now's there's three?" "Don't worry. They're all in individual locations, Twilight. You don't have to worry about them being in the same spot. Thanks to Jirachi combining the two worlds, with the expanded landmass, some Pokemon are seeing unrest. You can imagine that their homes have been disrupted by this." "I thought Jirachi was supposed to make everything better. I mean everything is better but..." "Oh, it certainly did but combing two worlds into one to make a Super-Earth does come with its consequences. Let's not rag on Jirachi for this. After all, each of the Jirachis from every world had been locked up in that dimension for 4 years. As for the Alpha Pokemon, this unrest correlates with them. The Alpha Pokemon and the unruly Pokemon have been going at it and since they're also so hostile until caught, this all doesn't help." "So it's like there's a constant turf war going on?" "That's right. It'll only stop unless those Alpha Pokemon are calmed down and the Pokemon can find a way to salvage their homes. I can trust that they can salvage it. After all, Pokemon are expert landscape artists, especially those Tyrantiar. Though it is a pain for those poor Cartographers. These are the Pokemon that I've found." On her screen, Professor Oak would show Twilight the three Alpha Pokemon she had to find as they popped up rapidly. Kricketune, Lopunny, Scyther. "Choose whichever and I'll pay your expense as always to send you to that region. You can find Kricketune over at Hoenn, Lopunny at Galar and Scyther at Unova." "Alright. I think I'll go with Lopunny this time." "Excellent. I'd recommend wearing protective armour to shield yourself from Lopunny's kicks. You can find Lopunny at the Wild Area of Galar. That in itself needs heavy amounts of protection. But I can trust you'll be fine with your Pokemon and my good friend, Ash." "Mhm. Sunset's coming with me too, so I'll be safer that way." Twilight nodded before hearing a knock on her door. "Perfect timing!" She would hop off her couch, quickly rushing to the door while Professor Oak was still on the call. Heading to the door with Spike following her, she would open it to see four of her friends. It wasn't just the ones she was expecting to see today. Ash Ketchum. Sunset Shimmer. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. "Hey, Twilight!" All four of them cried out along with their Pokemon. Pikachu, Castform and Mew respectively. "Wait, four of you?" Twilight said, surprised to see Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. And by looking at their outfits, she could tell that they came from Equestria instead of this world. "What brings you here, Pinkie? Rainbow?" "Thought we'd tag along. I've been itching to catch myself an Alpha Pokemon." Rainbow Dash slid over, nudging Sci-Twi. "I mean, it's cool with you, right?" "You want to catch Alpha Pokemon just like me?" "Well sure! You can't be the only one catching them, right? Plus, having an Alpha Pokemon on my team would be the best because of how strong they are. I'm closing in on my final Gym Battle and I'm gonna need all the help I can get, especially when the Equestria League finally starts." "Well...Nothing's stopping you from doing so. As long as they're safe from Hunter J, then it's fine with me." Twilight answered. That's just what Rainbow Dash wanted to hear. "Great! I can't wait! Where are heading to first?!" "Well, I chose Galar first. There's a Lopunny over at the Wild Area. It'll be a bit of a long trip because of this." "Hang on. Is the gateway that leads to Eindoak still there?" Ash asked. "I think Jirachi left this world alone." "Eindoak Town? I'm...not sure. I haven't visited it in quite a while. And I guess that's one way to enter your world. Is there still only one gateway back at your world?" "Seems like it." Professor Oak spoke on the phone. "Unfortunately, the chances of Eindoak's gateway being there are incredibly low. Reports from all over the world say that there aren't any gateways in the world left. Then again...only the most crucial places received this information. It doesn't hurt to check out." "I hope so...I'm not ready to turn into a pony just yet." Twilight prayed. While she found ponies adorable, she would prefer to stay how she is. "Since we're going somewhere far, I've brought a lot of food for everyone!" Pinkie held out a bag that was already letting out a delicious scent. "So, don't worry about starving." "You should hurry before your classes start next week. You can find this Wild Area in between Motostoke and Hammerlocke. If Eindoak still has its gateway, use it to get around faster. I'll be seeing you later. Farewell." Professor Oak said before hanging up. "Um...You wouldn't happen to have a Shift Stone on you?" Sci-Twi squeed, hoping that there was a Shift Stone to help maintain her original form. "I've got you covered." For backup, Sunset Shimmer knew Twilight very well. From her jacket pocket, she would hold out a Shift Stone. Relief was brought to Twilight's heart because of that. "Alright. Let's go!" Getting ahead of his friends, Ash would stroll along, ready to find Eindoak's gateway. If it was still there, that is. Twilight would quickly return all of her Pokemon, minus Zorua to their Poke Balls until it was their time to shine and face whatever Alpha Pokemon there was. But with three adept trainers and one advanced trainer, Twilight's safety was at an all-time high at the moment. Especially since she was around well-known friends. Kanto. Pallet Town. Professor Oak's Lab. Day. "Now that I think about it..." Back at Oak's lab, after finishing his call with Twilight, something came up. "There are those Time Rifts that still bring out Alpha Pokemon. Those ones might have stayed open instead of vanishing, unlike the gateways. By now, numerous Alpha Pokemon should have dropped from those Rifts, ending up in the present day." Oak would then look over the list of Alpha Pokemon that Sci-Twi has managed to catch and the ones that are currently known in the world. One of them was currently with the Kalos Elite 4 Member Siebold. Alpha Snorlax, to be specific. "We still don't know how to close those ones. But should we close the?" Oak wondered. "Probably. Some of those Pokemon have been taken from their own times after all." Oak thought about the possibility of sending some of the Alpha Pokemon back to their original timelines. So far, the ones Twilight has caught do not seem to mind staying with her at all. However, there were bound to be those who wished to return home. And since they came from the past, certain locations may not be the same at all thanks to the ever-growing world of Pokemon. And just like Oak said, Pokemon like Tyranitar can change up the map. "We've already succeeded in keeping both worlds connected forever. So now, they're a part of our world and its history. Maybe it's time to consider the leftover problems. Hopefully, Twilight will understand when a day like that comes." The Human World. Out in the forest near Canterlot Town. Afternoon. "Woah, woah, woah...What is this?!" They came across the spot where the gateway to Eindoak Town would usually remain, ready to test their theory and see if there was still a gateway here. And they did not believe their eyes when they got there. There was a gateway here. That was confirmed. But the way the gateway appeared was a bit different. The gateway to Eindoak Town was split in two. One side showed the Castle while the other side showed the Town. But more importantly, even though it was split, it made a specific shape. The Shape of Infinity. The two halves made the Infinity Shape with the vision of the town being angled differently thanks to this. On the bright side, there was one more gateway that still existed in the world. But the way it appeared was rather concerning. "Awesome!" Not to Ash and Rainbow Dash though. Their eyes lit up from this Infinity-Shaped Gateway. It had a rather smooth and clean appearance along with the incandescent and majestic cosmic aura that surrounded it. "S-Should we be worried...?" Sunset Shimmer nervously said after gazing at this gateway. While the shape was impressive, the fact that it appeared differently compared to Pallet Town's gateway was rather odd and a bit concerning. And Twilight felt the same along with the Arceus Pendant around her neck. "Huh?" She held the pendant, seeing it flash slowly. It certainly didn't do that before until now. She would then glance at the gateway and back at the pendant. "My pendant is flashing now? What does that mean?" Unfortunately, Twilight wasn't sure what this meant. But the fact that it was glowing now when they came across this Infinity-Shaped Gateway was something to take note of. "Hmm...I'm getting bad vibes from this thing." Pinkie Pie pouted, crossing her arms as her mane was vibrating from this. Even in this form, her obscure Pinkie Sense was still present. "But it's not that bad of a vibe. I think we should give this sweet new gateway a name! Infinity Gateway!" "Works for us." Ash and Rainbow Dash approved of the name. "But should we go through it? I mean, we can see Eindoak but this shape is a bit odd. Why is it like this?" "Well...A Pokemon Trainer is all about taking risks, right?" Twilight gasped. "My pendant seems to be trying to tell me something though and I can't tell what." "Let's give it a try then." Ash would choose to go through, ready to take the risk. If there was a risk. He faced the gateway as the cosmic sounds from it would reverb across this singular spot in the forest. "Be careful, Ash." Sunset Shimmer pleaded for him to be careful. Though, with Ash, you won't always get a careful pace with him. With a deep breath, he would approach the gateway. Mainly the one on the right that left to the town. Just like any other gateway, an aura would flare out once he passed through it. It seemed normal so far as Ash fully went through the gateway. This was followed by his partner Pikachu who would hop in. Musting the same amount of courage, Rainbow Dash would also join Ash, passing through the Infinity Gateway. This was followed by Pinkie Pie and soon Sunset Shimmer. All that was left was Twilight Sparkle. She would hold her pendant close to her while Hisuian Zorua locked up the bag that she was staying inside, preparing for the worst. But a bag certainly couldn't give full protection. Whatever the pendant was trying to tell her and whatever this shape meant, Twilight would also muster her own courage, walking through. Soon, they had all disappeared from the human world, entering this mysterious Infinity Gateway as the journey continues. Chapter 28 End.